Donna Seward, of Cochranville, Pa. (left), and Charlotte Neuberger, of Wilmington, play with Paisley and and Bama, both rescue labs from Greater Dayton Labrador Retriever Rescue Delaware Branch.

Labrador Retrievers continue to be the most popular dog breed in America, according the American Kennel Club.

They're big, but not too big, smart, strong, athletic, handsome, full of personality and make great family pets.

So why do so many end up in shelters?

Charlotte Neuberger, assistant director of the Delaware Branch of Greater Dayton Labrador Retriever Rescue, has some thoughts on that.

"Most of the dogs are very young, from 1 to 3," Neuberger said. "Some have been owner-surrendered due to being unruly and too strong to handle, some have been surrendered due to the poor economy.

"For those who lack social skills, it's because they've had no obedience training. We find that all it takes is patience and the ability to work with them. If more people would sign up for obedience classes and take the time to work with their dogs, they'd find that they end up with an awesome family pet."

Neuberger, a former Delaware Humane Association board member, started the Delaware branch of the Dayton, Ohio-based nonprofit in 2011. In the first year, 39 Labs and Lab mixes rescued from out-of-state kill shelters were fostered and then placed by the new branch.

In the past six months, with the help of new volunteer Donna Seward - currently fostering Paisley - another 32 dogs have found homes. Ninety percent of the dogs placed to date were from out of state, but thanks to word-of-mouth and outreach efforts, the number of locally surrendered dogs is on the rise.

All of the dogs adopted to new homes have been spayed or neutered and vaccinated. The group's biggest need is more people willing to foster. Currently, the group has four foster families.

"Fostering is not a lifetime commitment," Neuberger said. "It can be as short as two weeks or as long as two months, but on average it's not much longer than a month."

The group occasionally boards dogs for short periods of time at Dogtopia in Elsmere and Square Dog Ranch in Middletown. A trainer in Mays Landing, N.J., helps with dogs that need basic obedience training. Right now, the trainer is working for two weeks with Coal, who was surrendered by his owner when she lost her job and her home and was forced to keep him in her car.

"Usually, all they need is some basic obedience, and they usually come a long way," said Neuberger, who works hard to place each dog in the right home. One of her success stories is Dudley, who was "extremely strong on a leash, very hyper, happy go-lucky, and he had no knowledge of obedience commands."

After some basic training, the right home for Dudley, a very alpha male, was found with a police officer who had been head of his department's K9 unit.

"I receive frequent updates from Dudley's family, and they tell me that members of their community have nicknamed Dudley the "Mayor" of the neighborhood because he happily greets everyone he meets while out for his daily walk," she said. "It's the heartwarming and truly happy stories like Dudley's that remind me why we do everything possible to find that perfect home for each and every dog."

Labs come in three colors: yellow, black and chocolate. Ninety percent of the dogs the rescue has received are black. Many shelters report difficulty in placing black, or mostly black, dogs and cats. There are a lot of theories as to why: Black animals don't show up well in shelter lighting; people are more attracted to lighter-colored pets; people are afraid of black animals.

Regardless, Neuberger reports that all of the black Labs the organization has placed "have turned out to be extremely lovable, smart, gentle giants, who just need love, discipline, structure, guidance, routine and plenty of exercise. A bored Lab is a destructive Lab, just like many other breeds."

The group has some upcoming fundraisers to help with the veterinary, boarding and training expenses and to heighten the public's awareness of the group.

On April 15, join the Family Fun Night Dining Event at Friendly's, 80 Lantana Drive in Hockessin, and 10 percent of the price of your meal will be donated to rescue.

Through April 20, Flower Power Fundraising will give 50 percent of all online sales to the rescue. Go to flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=15109. Also on April 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the group is having a Scentsy Fundraiser Open House at 118 Bohemian Drive, Middletown.

Can't make it that day? Shop online. Until the day of the event, you can place orders for the flameless alternative to scented candles at the fundraising page llum.scentsy.us. Just click on the rescue's name.

And, the group has a new Wish List on amazon.com. Check it out to purchase needed items for the rescue. Got questions for the group? Email gdlrrlabs@yahoo.com or visit gdlrrde.webs.com.

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Delaware Pets: Lab rescue group tries to keep breed out of shelters

Labrador Retrievers continue to be the most popular dog breed in America, according the American Kennel Club.